They proved it with a 97-91 victory against the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, controlling the game almost from start to finish. They never trailed in beating the team that ended that stirring run to the conference finals.

The Jazz built a 14-point lead in the third quarter and 10 on in the closing minutes. Andrei Kirilenko had spectacular game with 23 points on 9 of 10 shooting and Kyle Korver hit a critical three-pointer with 48.1 seconds left.

San Antonio closed to 91-89 with 1:30 left as Tim Duncan (26 points) hit a turnaround over Carlos Boozer. The game had grown increasingly heated with Ime Udoka and Boozer called for a double technical foul and having to be separated.

As the Spurs ran back on defense after Duncan's basket, Udoka said something and was ejected by referee Jim Clark. Korver sank the technical free throw to put the Jazz in front by 3.

Korver missed a three-pointer with 1:11 left but Matt Harpring grabbed the offensive rebound and the Jazz kept possession. Boozer tried to hit Harpring underneath the basket but Harpring nearly lost the ball before shoveling it back out to Korver.

With 1 second on the shot clock, Korver drilled the three-pointer to put the Jazz ahead 95-89. Harpring hit a jumper on the baseline with 25.2 seconds left.

After a scoreless game against the Clippers last Monday, Kirilenko has been unbelievable the past three games, scoring 25, 17 and 23 points. Kirilenko was the difference maker as the Jazz broke open the game once and for all in third quarter.

He started a 13-2 Jazz run with a jumper and came up with two electrifying steals. The second of which came as Kirilenko blindsided Manu Ginobili and headed the other way for a breakaway reverse dunk.

Not only did the Jazz beat the Spurs in the second game of a back-to-back set, they also leapfrogged into the Northwest Division lead.

With Monday's victory and Denver's loss to New Orleans, the Jazz moved ahead of Portland, Golden State and the Nuggets. They had been out of playoff position for more than a month.

The Jazz matched a season-high with their fifth consecutive win and improved to 19-3 at home, second-best in the NBA after Dallas. They have won eight straight home games and can finish January 11-2 with a victory Wednesday against New York.

There were enough long memories from Game 4 of last season's Western Conference finals that Ginobili was loudly booed when he checked in during the first quarter and regularly whenever he touched the ball.

The Jazz set the tone in the first quarter, when they held San Antonio to 19 points and forced six turnovers, three apiece by Duncan and Tony Parker. They built an early 11-point lead as a result and never trailed in the first half.

They ran a second defender at Duncan and stripped him three times. Boozer tied up Parker for a jump ball, Williams took a charge and Harpring picked off a pass intended for Udoka.